Earth to Clunk [Hardcover]

Pam Smallcomb (Author), Joe Berger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 12, 2011 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 480L (What's this?)

What do you send your alien pen pal Clunk to make it clear you do not want an alien pen pal? You send him your big sister. That'll teach Clunk to have a pen pal from Earth-or so our intrepid narrator thinks. But then Clunk sends him a Zoid, an exasperating Zoid that follows him everywhere. After swapping dirty socks, three Forps, some old lasagna, a weird glob, and a string of Christmas lights, our hero seems to be having . . . could it be . . . fun? But then: Clunk stops sending stuff. Oh no! Earth to Clunk . . . ? Is he too busy being bossed around by our hero's big sister? Will her ever send another package again? Maybe-or maybe not. More hilarious surprises await!

Deadpan comedy, vibrant artwork (a bit Calvin & Hobbes, a bit Eloise), a warm friendship theme, and an extraordinary surprise ending will have kids laughing all the way back to the first page of this sweet-in-spite-of-itself story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Berger’s artwork , with its Southern California–bungalow cheeriness, has a wonderful way of . . . stirring the ingredients into broad, spirited humor. Rarely have school letter-writing exercises been so much fun.”

(Kirkus)

“Smallcomb expertly channels a sarcastic kid who’s secretly a softie.”

(Publishers Weekly)

“Friendships can blossom in the most unexpected ways and places. This is science fiction with a homey touch for the youngest readers.”

(School Library Journal)

“Tongue-in-cheek text from a Maryland author is a lively match with Joe Berger’s hysterical illustrations.”

(Baltimore�s Child)

About the Author

Pam Smallcomb lives in Germantown, Maryland.

Joe Berger lives in Bristol, England.

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dial (May 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803734395
• ISBN-13: 978-0803734395
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pam Smallcomb is NOT: tidy, a morning person, or good at math (especially long division). She is not going to jump out of an airplane, even with two parachutes.
She IS skilled at making chocolate fudge (and eating it) and giving hugs, and is easy to get along with (except in the mornings).
Pam lives in rural Maryland with her husband and a bunch of kids and pets. This is her first picture book. Visit her on the Web at pamsmallcomb.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars we know this one by heart...more Clunk please February 8, 2012

By Amy Henry TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the funniest new titles we've found this year. My four-year-old and I are reading it nightly, per his request. The illustrations are amazing....not cutesy but not too complex either...the kid's expressions are right on too. You have to love a little guy that sends his sister to a distant planet, and doesn't want her back.

Hopefully this book will lead to more adventures with Clunk and the Zoid!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Earth To Clunk May 27, 2011

By Janie Emaus

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the most adorable books around. I just loved it and my grandkids can't enough of it. It has everything. An annoying big sister, an alien, a little brother. And the illustrations are superb.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of this world friendship February 16, 2012

By Dienne TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Personally, I always liked having pen pals. In fact, I always sought out as many as possible. But I can understand why some kids wouldn't like pen pals. If you're not interested in distant places and different cultures, what's the point of writing to someone far away that you'll never meet? It is a lot of work to keep up with.

The unnamed boy in this story is especially irked that he has to write to a space alien named Clunk from the planet Quazar. He's absolutely *NOT* going to write a letter. In fact, he's going to teach that Clunk a lesson. So he sends him his big sister. That'll teach him.

Apparently, however, Clunk didn't' get the insult. He sends the boy a Zoid (or, perhaps that was meant to be insulting too?). The boy (now followed merrily by the Zoid) tries everything to get his message across: go away. He sends a boxful of dirty socks, a scary picture of Earth, a toilet plunger and a string of Christmas lights. But each time, Clunk just tops those "gifts" with scarier gifts of his own.

Unfortunately, however, the boy's mom wants his sister back (only because she has chores to do, apparently). So the boy leaves it up to Clunk whether or not to return his sister, enclosing the note in a lump of gooey lasagna.

And then he waits. And waits. And waits. Perhaps he's gone too far. Maybe Clunk won't send any more packages. Ever. It's amazing how you can miss something you never wanted in the first place.

But then finally another package arrives with a note, sister enclosed. "I liked the glob you sent me to eat. I did NOT like your sister. Here is a glob from Quazar." Hey, maybe Clunk isn't so bad after all. And that glob wasn't too bad either.

This book is delightfully, if rather snarkily, humorous.... It will especially appeal to boys with sisters (although girls who happen to be sisters might not appreciate it quite so much). The humor is perhaps a bit too subtle and snide for the younger set (my three-year-old daughter thinks the boy is just "mean"), but elementary age kids will get the joking tone and appreciate the book.

The artwork is bright, expressive and engaging, and adds a lot to the humor, sometimes in subtle ways. The opening page, for instance, shows the solar system with Earth marked and a "map" to find Quazar. The Zoid is adorable and the sister is, well, just what you'd expect this sister to be.

It's probably more of a boy book than a girl book, but any kid with a sense of humor will appreciate this quirky tale of friendship that is out of this world. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply adorable! August 27, 2011

By Cheryl Wedesweiler

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the cutest book. A young boy is ordered by his teacher to write to a boy on another planet , Quasar. He does-reluctantly. When the alien boy stops writing, the earth boy realizes that he misses him. He invites him to earth and they enjoy each others' company.
This story is so funny! The author is so inventive.

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTER SPACE FRIENDSHIP July 6, 2011

By topangamaria

Format:Hardcover

I love Pam Smallcomb's sense of humor. She always tickles my funny bone. Where she takes you with it is always an adventure. This story tackles the unusual topic of outer space alien pen pals, but it actually is a great exploration of friendship right here on planet Earth.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun June 15, 2011

By B. Jackson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Adorable book! My girls (7 and 8) and son (5) liked it too!! Illustrations are fun. Storyline is very fun. The only thing I did not like about the book, was the use of the word "stupid" twice. Just a personal thing with me. However, I thought the book was sooo much fun, I did not let that hold me back and bought the book. I have read the book more than once. When I read it, I substituted "stupid" with words like silly, crazy, etc...